Hope
by alee-chan
Summary: An encounter at a bar makes a memory that even a year later, one cannot forget another's kindness.


A/N: Hi! I thought I would subject you all to a small oneshot - something that is actually complete. Unlike many of my other postings. I just don't understand why my mind keeps thinking up all this new stuff that won't fit into any of the others. Writers block sucks.

On a positive note, I hope you all enjoy this mini piece of writing. I wish you all the best in your endeavours. Don't forget to review if you feel the urge to press the little blue button in the bottom left hand corner.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice drifted over the din of the bar he had found himself sitting in, playing with the paper napkin of his first drink, staring off into the distance.

"I thought you didn't have pennies in this country." He responded, wanting the voice to just leave him alone in his self-pity. Instead of the huff and sounds of walking away, he was astounded with the small tinkle of laughter to his right.

"You're right. We don't." He turned half angrily to encounter sparkling dark eyes. Eyes which seemed to hold more maturity than her appearance suggested. Dark hair framed her face and she wore the least amount of make up that he had seen on a woman in a long time. She blinked and smiled lightly at him.

"How about a dollar?" She proffered. He tried to read any amusement in her face and found none. She stared back, and he felt, rather than her telling him, that he could trust her.

"I wouldn't want to trouble you with the sad existence that I call life." It wiped the smile off her face and he wished he hadn't spoken.

"I realise that I don't know you, but I want you to do something for me." It felt like she was examining him from the inside out, like she could read him like no one else could. He found himself nodding slightly in response.

"Smile." He furrowed his brow, a little confused by the simple request. She smiled again, and he could feel himself responding to it.

"Puddle! We have to go!" A voice filtered into the small bubble she had seemingly created around him. He had been focused on her and everything else had dropped away but had come back suddenly at the strange cry. She turned around and spoke to someone behind her.

"I'll meet you outside." She turned back to him, a little unease threaded into her expression.

"You'll be ok." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yeah, thanks." He nodded. He knew that she wouldn't have been able to stay forever. She looked a little hesitant at his easy brush off. She then stared into his eyes and he had wanted to drown in her dark eyes. She unclasped her necklace and swung it from around her neck. She carefully laid it out in his hand and closed his fingers over it.

"Here, you need this more than I do."

----------------------------------

He swung his legs off his bed, not getting a wink of sleep the night before. She had been in his dreams again, and he was unable to grasp her. It had been almost a year since their encounter and he still remembered it. He had taken her advice and her necklace. He had taken to smiling a whole lot more, and not the fake smile he used to hide behind. Sometimes he would just stare into the distance and remember her kindness. He fingered the symbol that hung around his neck. It was hers. He had found out that the little symbol meant hope, something that she had instilled in him.

He had remembered sitting in the bar and watching as she left, her hips swaying lightly away from him and then she was swallowed by the crowd. How could life be so utterly confusing and then let the ones who made it all make sense walk away from him.

He had come to the conclusion that she was his lifeline.

He had gone to Sydney to get away from the world, an escape and maybe to try and answer why he had felt so alone in the world. While he hadn't really gotten away from the world, she had provided him with an escape and with _her_, he hadn't felt the loneliness that usually surrounded him wherever he went.

------------------------

"Himura! Are you listening to me?" The voice on the phone barked into his ear. He was standing in the elevator that would lead him to his freedom, the outside world. He had to get out of the concrete jungle.

It was their anniversary. It had officially been a year since their first and last meeting and he didn't even know her name. It was driving him crazy. He remembered her smile, the way she faintly dimpled in the soft light, the way her hair seemed just right.

"I'll speak to you later Sagara. Now isn't the time." With that he hung up, much to the relief of his fellow elevator buddies. No one deserved to hear the obscenities that would spring so delightfully from his phone had he continued the conversation. He strode out of the packed elevator and made his way to the entrance, finding a cab quickly.

He reached the beach before he really knew what was going on. After paying the cab driver, he hauled himself out of the vehicle to find himself in a very wet puddle. It had rained at some point during the night and now he was suffering the after-effects. He smiled down at the mini-pool of liquid his foot was surrounded by.

'Puddle' was the only name that he had to associate with her, and he found himself smiling whenever he seemed to encounter one as it reminded him of her.

He turned to walk towards the sand, stopping every now and then to remove his socks and shoes, to feel the sand between his toes. It relaxed him. He saw that the area was fairly empty and only really had tourists running around, clutching what seemed to be umbrellas and often consulting with the darkened grey clouds overhead.

As if it could read his mind, the heavens opened upon him. The rain pelted down upon everyone and he opted to run towards the cover of the beach house, which, in summer, held many a life guard. A couple of people who seemed to have neglected to bring some form of protection against the liquid that fell from the sky joined him, or ran under the cover of trees, past the sand.

Then, he heard laughter. A sound so melodious to his ears, he searched like a mad-man for its origins. There, in the rain, she spun around in circles, arms outstretched, welcoming the rain. His breath caught in his throat as he watched as she spun, carefree in the sand. Her laughter echoed up and down the desolate beach.

A voice near him yelled out to the dancing figure.

"KAORU! YOU ARE GOING TO CATCH PNEUMONIA!" The owner was part of a small group who were huddled together. Another of the group sighed in exasperation.

"I should have remembered her telling us how funny it would be if it rained when we went to the beach. Stupid woman. She's been doing it since high school. She does it just to spite me." The speaker was small and asian, but had a distinct Australian accent.

The first just laughed softly in response being interrupted by the second started again.

"Who am I kidding? Where do you think the 'puddle' nickname came from?"

------------------

Time seemed to stop as he overheard their conversation. It was her. He didn't really stop to think as he threw caution to the wind and stepped out in the rain to join her. He ran up to her as she twirled. She seemed to realise that she was no longer alone and tried to stop, only to fall straight into his arms. She laughingly apologised.

"I'm sorry. I guess I spun too much." She attempted to disentangle herself from him as he stood there. He was unable to say anything but take in her slightly soaked appearance, how she seemed to sparkle with life. As he tried to balance her, his, no _her,_ necklace seemed to fall out of his shirt at the most opportune moment. She stilled in his arms and looked up at him and smiled.

"Hi." She said softly, her dark eyes staring straight into his.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Just some reassurance for my other fanfics - I have not stopped writing them, in fact they're half written - which I think makes it worse. Nothing seems to come out the way that I want it to. But, never fear! They will continue!

As a sign of good faith, I have posted a small snippet of chapter 12 of **Adverse Situations** below:

"If I had been back earlier, none of this would have happened, Saitou." The name was spat in disgust, none of his kind rurouni words seeping into his speech. His golden eyes glowing, it seemed that emotion seemed to have gotten the best of him.

"I take it from that statement, that you were not responsible for the three men currently sitting in my jail cells. If that was not the reason, what is the purpose of this so called visit, Battousai?" Saitou drawled out in similar disgust.

"Revenge."


End file.
